Simpicity is Bliss
by Deception'sChosen
Summary: After Ukyo and Tomi go to Kanna village to try to start a new life, a new Amanushi takes over who proves to be even more cruel and ambitious than Ukyo was. As much as they want a simple life, it seems to be that they will never have what they want. Rated
1. Chapter 1

Simplicity is Bliss

Chapter 1

Kirara stood looking out her window at her friend as she came toward her house, her purple hair now slightly past her shoulders. She wore her usual yukata and hakama with no shoes on her feet. The water priestess grinned and opened the door to let in her friend, remembering to call to Komachi that they had a visitor.

"How is Komachi coming along in her training?"

The little girl had begun to train as a second water priestess when it was obvious that Kirara was not enough. This was not to say that she was not strong enough, but rather that there seemed to be a lot of illness going around, and Kirara was just one woman.

"She's doing well. She has started healing. When is Ukyo getting home?"

Tomi sighed and sat down, accepting the cup of tea that was offered by the water priestess. Ukyo had been gone for a week on his twice-monthly trip to a neighboring city and a small village just south of them. He avoided recognition by keeping his hair, now only half it's original length, dyed black while he was away and wearing lenses in his eyes.

"He should be home tonight. Then I can give him some news."

"News?!"

The water priestess sat down beside her friend and reached for her hand, still liking the feel of Tomi's long fingered hand in her own small one, in anticipation. Would this be the day that she found out what had been making the older woman stay away from almost everybody in the village?

"Yeah. It, ah… It looks like I'm pregnant again."

"How far along are you?"

"About a month or two, I'd say."

She had told the water priestess about her intentional miscarriage one night during the O-Bon festival after the priestess heard her pray for the soul of the child.

Kirara's face split into a grin and she squealed as Tomi smiled and took a drink of her tea. Komachi came inside and looked from happily smiling, laughing friend to sister in an even happier state and scratched her head.

"What happened? Did somebody get married?"

Tomi laughed and Kirara motioned for her younger sister to sit down with them.

"Not quite. Tomi is going to have a baby!"

"Ah! Can I go tell?"

Tomi shook her head.

"No, I want to be the one to tell Ukyo. You can tell the Elder if you want."

Komachi congratulated her friend again and dashed out the door, already shouting for the elder.

The women laughed at the girl's antics, then Kirara rubbed her nose and looked around at Katsu as he walked past the window with one of the girls from the village. When he glanced in, he smiled at both woman, but couldn't look at Tomi for long before breaking out in a blush and stuttering.

When he was gone, Kirara turned to Tomi and refilled their tea.

"What was his problem?"

Tomi turned pink and looked down into her teacup and chewed her tongue for a moment before regaining her composure enough to relate an edited version of the story to Kirara.

"Well, the day before Ukyo left I had told Katsu that I had finished making the ink paining that I had been working on and wanted his opinion and asked him to stop by. Well, I wasn't expecting him to be there before sunset, as he was supposed to be keeping watch until late. Anyway, he came and caught Ukyo and I in an…erm… _compromising _situation."

Kirara's mouth fell open and she quickly covered it with her hand before she could break into a fit of giggles and mess up the story. Tomi herself snorted and continued with a giggle creeping into her voice.

"Then, as if it wasn't bad enough to have been seen like that in midday, after Ukyo got dressed he went out looking for the poor boy and… from what I gather, gave him a very graphic and detailed talk… Poor Katsu hasn't been able to look at me since without having a meltdown."

"What did Ukyo say to him?"

"I'm assuming it was a sex talk… Oh, I'm amazed the poor boy can talk to me at all…"

"Wait, you got caught _in the middle of the day_?"

"Well, it _is_ our house."

"Where were you?"

Tomi smiled and covered her face with one sleeve, trying to hide the fact that despite Kirara's standing as her best friend, this was embarrassing.

"We were… In the kitchen."

Kirara laughed again and this time Tomi joined in. Their laughs turned to a unified shriek of shock when the door opened and Ukyo smiled down at them.

"I thought I would find you here."

"Ukyo! What are you doing here so early? I was thinking you wouldn't be home until nearly dark."

Kirara, in a rare show of bawdy humor, smirked and leaned a little closer to her friend and spoke in a stage whisper.

"Will you two be able to contain yourselves or should I just go visit Sanae?"

Ukyo burst out in a surprised laugh and Tomi flicked the priestess in the forehead, her eyes narrowed.

"I never should have told you about that."

"Ooh! Ooh! Tomi has something she needs to tell you, Ukyo!"

"Brat."

"What is it, Tomi?"

She looked up and, remembering what happened the first time that he had been given the news that she was about to give him, told him that he had to be sitting before she would speak another word. Once he was sitting next to her and holding her hand, Tomi took a deep breath and let it go.

"I'm pregnant."

And, once again, Ukyo passed out.


	2. Chapter 2

Simplicity is Bliss

Chapter 2

Ukyo woke up to see his wife and the water priestess laughing heartily, dabbing at their eyes and gasping for air.

He glared at the women and sat up, putting a hand to his head and taking a deep breath before speaking.

"When did you figure this one out?"

Tomi smiled and callmed herself enough to answer, still wiping tears of mirth from her cheeks.

"I've missed two periods, and I feel like I did when I was pregnant before. Do you want a boy or a girl?"

Ukyo tapped his chin for a moment, looking for all the world like somebody who was trying to remember why he had come into a room. Then Kirara piped up, her excitement leaking into her voice.

"I hope it's a girl. That way, when there are problems, we can fix them in the best way we as women know how and not have to worry about embarrassing them!"

Ukyo laughed and began to cough, doubling over and hacking until his face turned the color of blood. Both women stopped laughing and talking in shock. Tomi shuffled over to him and put a hand on his face, her eyebrows rising as she noted how high his temperature was. She caught his elbow and steered him out of the house, calling to Kirara that she may summon her later if her husband's condition worsened.

Kirara looked down at her hands, worry gnawing at her belly. This was how the others started… They had lost four children and six adults in the past month to a strange wasting illness. She wondered if she would be able to save Ukyo if it came to that. She said a prayer for Ukyo health and left the house to see to the other villagers that had fallen ill.

_At this rate, there will be no one to harvest the rice or protect the village._

………

One month previous…

In the palace of the Amanushi, a new man sat on the impressive throne. His hair was tied back in a loose ponytail and his face painted as his predecessor's had been. His eyes were as red as Ukyo's had been, but there was no softness in them. They had a hard glint in them and a cruel smile seemed to be permanently sitting below them. He looked to a worried scientist and minister and beckoned them forward.

"How is Kanna responding to our new diplomacy?"

"Not well, my lord. Your brother is telling them to refuse all treaties that he doesn't read first. If you would maybe – "

"I am not interested in diplomacy anymore. Is the virus ready?"

The scientist nodded and spoke in a hesitant voice.

"It's still in need of testing…"

The Amanushi smiled and waved a hand.

"Send a cloud of it into Kanna secretly. Not in it's strongest form though. I want to know how it effects the people."

"As you wish."

………

Back in the present…

Tomi helped Ukyo out of his clothes and got him settled in their bed, her eyes worried. He had been in the grip of a nagging cough, as the rest of the village had after the night of the strange fog, but he had seemed to have gotten better before he had set out…

"I'll get you some tea. Just stay here."

Ukyo coughed and waved his hand, telling her to go ahead, he would be fine. Tomi's silent preparation of tea was punctuated by Ukyo's voice and bouts of coughing.

"The new Amanushi is my brother Akakyo. You remember him?"

"Yeah, we used to play with him before he was sent away. Then we visited him all the time. I never liked him, he scared me."

"I loved him, though… And you came with me because of that…"

She came in with the tea and motioned for Ukyo to sit up. He accepted the tea and took a slow sip. Taking a deep breath, he looked up and watched as Tomi settled herself by him.

"I heard that there were more deaths while I was gone. Kirara couldn't heal them?"

"She couldn't get to them soon enough. I will go for her in an hour to come and heal you. I won't lose you, not to anything…"

She kissed his cheek and leaned against him as he drank the rest of his tea and settled back onto the wall, putting an arm over shoulders and stroking her hair while trying to suppress his cough.

_Please, any gods that are listening… Let me live to see my child born…_


	3. Chapter 3

Simplicity is Bliss

Chapter 3

Kirara looked up to see Tomi coming toward her, her eyes lingering on the old man that was being treated by the water priestess. Tomi's hair hung in her face and there was a sheen of sweat on her brow.

"Is it Ukyo?"

Tomi nodded and kneeled down by the old man, wiping his wrinkled face with her sleeve and wincing when his cracked lips shaped her name. There was a harsh gasp and the old man's eyes rolled back in his head and he died.

"Damn it. Another life lost to whatever plague has come to us…"

Kirara closed the man's eyes and said a short prayer before rising to her feet and helped Tomi to hers, holding her hand and jogging to the house that Tomi and her husband shared.

"What's happening to him, Tomi?"

"He's still coughing, and his fever won't go down. He's hallucinating and throwing up. It's scaring me…"

Kirara picked up the pace and soon they were outside the modest house. Tomi went in first in case Ukyo had gotten up again. Sure enough, he was in the kitchen, holding a heavy pan and swinging it like a sword. When he saw Tomi, his wide eyes seemed to calm slightly, but remained fever-mad.

"Why did you leave? You said you wouldn't leave! When you were gone, they came back and tried to kill me! They said that they would come for you next! Why did you leave? Why?! Who is she?!"

Kirara had just come in and Ukyo lunged toward her, forcing Tomi to grab his arm and twist it behind him, drawing a yelp of pain from her husband. With a snarl, he was forced to the floor and held down by the purple haired woman.

"You want to kill me too, Tomi?! I trusted you! You bitch! You whore! I should have your head twisted off!"

Tomi winced when Ukyo managed to land a sharp blow on Tomi's eyebrow, splitting the skin and making her cry out in pain and surprise. She set her teeth and pinned both of his arms behind his back and used her own weight to hold him down.

"How long has he been like this, Tomi?"

"Almost fifteen minutes! What do I do?!"

"Get him to bed and calm him down a little. We need to make him drink some water so that the magic will stick."

"Okay. The well is around the back."

Kirara ran and got a cup of cold water and brought it to Tomi, who had managed to drag her husband to the bed and calm him a little. He was no longer shrieking and trying to strike at unseen enemies, but he was still fearful and was keeping a tight grip on her arm.

"Ukyo," Tomi's voice was low and soothing as they waited for the water. "please ease up on my arm. You're hurting me, love."

His grip eased slightly and she sighed at the slight relief. She winced as Ukyo put gentle fingers, so cold, to her eyebrow. His eyes showed no recognition at the wound, but rather concern and a trace of anger in them.

"What happened to your eye, Tomi? Who did that to you?"

Tomi chuckled and took the cup of water from off the floor where Kirara had quietly placed it, not wanting to startle him and work him up again until she had to try to cleanse the illness from his body.

"It's nothing. I hit the doorframe on my way in."

Ukyo's over bright eyes softened into a smile as he touched her cheek, trying to wipe the blood from it as it ran from her split eyebrow.

"You always were a bit of a klutz, my love."

Tomi raised the cup to Ukyo's lips and tipped some of it into his mouth. He made a face as he swallowed, pushing the cup away when she made to put more into his mouth.

"It's hot… It's like acid in the water…"

Tomi shushed him and dipped her fingers in the water so that he could see her do it, then put them on the back of his neck.

"No, it's cool. Now just drink the rest of it, so that you can get better. We have to prepare for the baby, you know."

Ukyo nodded and drank the rest of the water, gasping after it was gone as if it burned his throat.

"I'll get Kirara. Don't move, now."

"I won't."

Tomi looked into the next room and nodded for the younger woman. When Kirara got into the room, Ukyo was still a little confused, but he remembered who she was this time.

"Hello, little priestess."

"Hello Ukyo. I'm going to try to heal you, okay? You'll have to hold still while I do this."

"Alright…"

He closed his eyes and relaxed, keeping a loose hold on Tomi's arm, as if he was afraid that she would leave him.

After an hour of sweat and prayer, the water crystal finally glowed clear blue, signaling that all illness had been purged from Ukyo's body. The man was covered in sweat and tired, but his breathing was clearer and his fever had all but vanished. Kirara sat back against the opposite wall and panted, accepting a cup of cold water from Tomi as the woman put a damp cloth over Ukyo's face for a moment.

Kirara smiled and thanked her friend for the water, and was surprised when Tomi gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"No, thank you. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't… if you hadn't…"

Kirara smiled and hugged her friend, taking a deep breath and then stepped back, keeping her hands on the slightly taller woman's shoulders.

"Now, the two of you should take a nice bath and get some rest. Ukyo may be a little weak for a while, but he should be just fine."

Tomi nodded and Kirara left them to their night.

Tomi heated up the large bath and held on to Ukyo's arm while they walked to the hot water, helping him keep his balance. In the bath, neither spoke for a long time, but when Ukyo noticed her eye and arm, he spoke.

"What happened to your eye? And your arm? That bruise looks like fingers…"

Tomi shrugged and splashed some water at her husband, smiling a little.

"It wasn't on purpose. You weren't yourself. The fever had addled you. It's fine, just a bruise and a scratch."

Ukyo looked at his wife with a pained look in his eyes, looking like a puppy that had been caught chewing on its owners shoes.

"I'm sorry."

Tomi sighed and motioned for him to come over to her, and once he settled again, she kissed him. He smiled and touched the bruised skin on his wife's arm.

"Remember how you asked me what I wanted? A boy or a girl? Truth is, I would like a girl too. A tough little princess, just like her mother…"

A/N

Wow, I liked this chapter… It really was fun to write. If you don't believe that somebody can go from afraid to violent to confused when they have a high fever… Well, I have experience in that field, and I can tell you it happens. Often the people don't remember what they did afterward… It really is very scary.

This one is dedicated to Daughter of Horus!

(Ukyo) More cookies please!!!


	4. Chapter 4

Simplicity is Bliss

Chapter 4

The new Amanushi looked with disgust at some of the buildings that his predecessor had built for his wife. Stages, teahouses, gazebos and music halls were everywhere and money spent left and right, all for one woman's smile. He had to admit, the girl was pretty, but disposable. What was her name anyway? Hatsu? Tama? Oh well, no matter.

He turned and looked at one of his scientists and held out his hand to take the file from the man.

"Ah good. But only a few deaths? Well, I suppose that you will have to make it stronger. Also, find out why some of the villagers seemed to be able to fight the disease off. I want it to be perfect for when we have to use it in war."

The scientist nodded and had to scramble to catch the file after the Amanushi tossed it behind him as he left for the night to his chambers, summoning one of his concubines to him.

After he had finished with the woman, who left in tears, he sat alone looking out the window. He wondered if Ukyo, who had been his friend for so long when they were young, knew what was happening to his 'people'. Akakyo smiled when he thought of who may have died. If his wife had been among those who fell in the first test. If she had been, perhaps his 'brother' would come back and serve in a government position…

"Perhaps. Perhaps."

………

Ukyo opened his eyes and quietly spit out a strand of Tomi's hair, wrapping his arms around her a little tighter and pulling her a little closer to him. She chuckled in her sleep and squirmed a moment before settling into sleep again.

The former Amanushi swallowed and tried to ignore the gritty dryness in his mouth and throat, then eased up out of bed and walked shivering to get the jug of water. After nearly emptying the nearly two liters of water, he sighed and crept back into their bedroom. He eased back under the covers and snuggled up to Tomi again and closed his eyes.

"Were you thirsty?"

"Wha!"

Ukyo nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of Tomi's voice. She rolled so she was facing him and smiled.

"We need to get up."

"Nuh-uh. You need to stay and take care of me. I'm sick, remember?"

He grinned and groaned when a pillow slammed into his face.

"You were sick, but now you're well enough to do what you have come home to do."

"And that was?"

Tomi tried to stand, but was pulled down by her sleeping robe, laughing and playfully tugging her husband's hair and rolling out of bed again. Ukyo sighed and got up a little slower, closing his eyes against the headache that was coming.

"You are supposed to be giving out supplies in exchange for whatever the other villagers think is worth it. A pretty necklace here, a fixed roof there… You know the drill."

Ukyo sighed and dressed slowly and gratefully accepted the cup of tea that Tomi made him for his headache and left her after getting a promise that she would bring him something to eat in a few hours. His eyes lingered on Tomi's eyebrow, which was now swollen and purple around the wide split that had scabbed up during the night.

"I want you to have Kirara look at that today, Tomi. It looks like I… Oh… wait… I did hit you, didn't I?"

Tomi rolled her eyes and gave Ukyo a push out the door.

"I'll have her give me something, but she can't be wasting her power on scratches like these. I won't die from this, now get out of here."

Ukyo smiled and kissed her before walking away. The man waved over his shoulder and Tomi waited until he was out of sight before turning back into the house to try to cook something from their low supply of rice and even lower supply of spring vegetables.

_Well, we'll probably be getting more before too long. If not, Ukyo can go to the next village and buy some for everybody…_

After she managed to put together a lunch and tie it all together, she walked to Kirara's house and waited outside until the water priestess opened the doors. Kirara hissed in sympathy when she saw the nasty cut on Tomi's face and moved so the woman could come inside. Komachi looked up and saw the bruises and her little face turned to stone.

"What did he do to you?"

"He was sick, Komachi. He really didn't know what was going on at the time. He apologized later. Oh, this is for you Kirara, as a thank you for last night."

From her sleeve she pulled out a few yen and held it out to the water priestess, a small smile on her face.

Kirara rolled her eyes and took the money, tucking it into a hiding place in the wall, then walked over to a pot of boiling water.

"Let me clean out that cut at least. Just sit down by Komachi and I'll be right there."

Tomi sat and set the box lunch to one side and pulled the little girl onto her lap, poking her in the side and making her giggle.

"How are your studies going?"

"I can find water, detect lies and even sort of heal…"

"Sort of?"

"She can't do much more than heal a bruise, but she's learning."

Kirara sat down in front of Tomi and poured a foul smelling steaming liquid onto a clean cloth and pressed it to the cut that was showing signs of getting infected. Tomi yelped and squirmed in discomfort as the liquid burned and stung in the wound.

"Ouch! Hey, what is that anyway? Vinegar?"

"It'll get any infection out of that cut and help it heal up better. Now, hold still."

Tomi held her head and shoulders still as she was told, but her legs continued their uncomfortable squirming. Komachi giggled and Tomi cracked a smile and rolled her good eye so she could see the girl's arm.

"I sent Ukyo out to do his trading a little while ago, if there's anything you need, you should go now. I'll come with so that I can bring him lunch."

"Well, we'll do that then, just as soon as this dries."

Kirara put a thick paste on her cut and blew on it to speed up the drying. Tomi cuffed her in the chin gently and stood, picking up the box that she had prepared for her husband and smiled as the two sisters rose and prepared to go.

"Do you know if he has any candy?"

Komachi had been very slow to warm up to Ukyo, and she still wasn't overly fond of the blue haired man, but when Ukyo had started bringing her candy from the towns he visited, the process had sped up considerably.

"I'm sure he has something. But I think I saw something in there that you'll be interested in."

The little girl walked a little ahead of her sister and Tomi, singing one of the old songs of the village. Then she spun and grabbed Tomi's hand and jumped up and down, a wide grin on her face.

"Tomi, I wanna hear a song! Sing one for me while we walk!"

Tomi smiled at the little girl, then looked at the water priestess, who smiled and nodded to her friend.

"Fine. What to sing, what to sing… Oh, I know one."

She cleared her throat and began to sing in a soft lilting voice one of the many lullabies that she had written during her life.

Can you hear in night's deep song?  
All the shadows say  
Telling you when you're asleep,  
Tears will fade away  
Dream of morning's golden light  
When you and I will leave the night ...  
And when the moon is high and bright,  
Stars will shine on you  
Dream of morning's golden light  
When you and I will leave the night ...  
Make a wish and when you close your eyes  
I will come to you  
Dream of morning's golden light  
When you and I will leave the night ...  
Make a wish and when you close your eyes  
I will come to you

Komachi and Kirara grinned and Tomi touched her belly, thinking of the life that was slowly taking shape inside of her. She was more than a little nervous, but at the same time, she couldn't wait for the baby to be born so she could see it.

"Thinking of the baby?"

Komachi had taken off again when she caught sight of the crowd that had gathered around Ukyo and his many mechanized carts full of things for sale or trade. The water priestess smiled and leaned down to talk to Tomi's flat stomach.

"Hurry up, baby! We want to meet you!"

She straightened and laughed when Tomi gave her a little push toward the crowd. The villagers cried out happily to the two women, occasionally one would stop the priestess to come to their home later to look after one thing or another, but then their tone grew grim again.

"There was another strange mist last night that came from the north. It had the strangest color… I wonder what it could have been."

Tomi paused and turned to the man who had spoken, her eyes wide.

"What did it look like?"

The man put a hand to his chin and twisted his face into a mask of concentration.

"It was white, like mist usually is, but it looked a little like it was a little purple… It may have been a trick of the light though. It stayed real low to the ground too… Odd."

"Hunh. Well, keep an eye out for it for us, okay?"

"Sure thing, Tomi."

Tomi patted his arm and walked up to Ukyo, who smiled and waved when he saw her. He handed a package over to the local metalworker and quickly took what he had traded for and shoved it into a bag that held a few of the smaller objects that he had traded.

"How's business today?"

Ukyo rolled his eyes at his wife and turned to the middle aged woman who served as the village's midwife who asked for a bolt of heavy cloth in exchange for two jars of jellied fruit that she knew he was fond of. He grinned and handed the cloth and threw in a roll of silk on top of it with a wave of his hand when she protested.

"Consider it a down payment for your services later."

"Huh?"

Ukyo pulled Tomi to him and smiled proudly even as she blushed dark red.

"Tomi's pregnant!"

The older woman grinned and congratulated the couple, quickly walking off to spread the word, calling over her shoulder that they would have to tell the Elder at the festival that night. Tomi's face fell slightly at the prospect of having to tell the old man that she was in her condition in front of all those people…

"Uhm, I brought you something to eat. Here, I have to go… Tired."

Ukyo took the boxed and sent her off with Kirara with the order to go and take a nap as soon as she got home, and that he would be back in a few hours.

Kirara laughed at her friend's blush as they walked, a small box of herbs and tea in her hands. Komachi, after getting a large bag of candy from Ukyo, had run off with her friends after promising to get home before sundown. Slowly, she regained her composure and turned to her friend.

"I can walk with you to the festival after Komachi gets back. That way, we can talk and if Katsu sees you, we can laugh at him together."

Tomi smiled and nodded, walking toward her house and sighing once she got inside, happy to stand in the cool shade. She liked the hot weather, but if she had to be out, she really did prefer to go at night when it wasn't so hot.

She eased under the single blanket and closed her eyes, waiting for sleep to claim her. To hurry it up, she started humming her favorite lullaby and hugged the other pillow tightly to her. When she slept, she dreamed of festivals and fat babies. When Ukyo came back, she was still asleep, a smile on her lips. He stretched and slipped in with her and sighed as he pulled her a little closer to him and whispered the words of a song that he had written during their separation.

Your eyes

As we said our goodbyes

Can't get them out of my mind

And I find

I can't hide

From your eyes

The ones that took me by surprise

The night you came into my life

Where there's moonlight

I see your eyes

How'd I let you slip away

When I'm longing so to hold you?

Now I die

For one more day

Cuz there's something I should have told you

Yes, there's something I should have told you

When I looked into your eyes

Why does distance make us wise?

You were the song all along,

And before the song dies

I should tell you

I should tell you

I have always loved you…

You can see it in my eyes.

He heard Tomi sigh in her sleep and smiled. All was well, he was sure, and the strange illness that had come to the village would soon go. Then, after the festival, he and Tomi could focus on the baby.

Those were his thoughts as his eyes fell shut and he too dreamed.


	5. Chapter 5

Simplicity is Bliss

Chapter 5

Time passed, and Tomi was soon busy getting herself and her home ready for the arrival of the child that now slowed her movements and sometimes made it hard to breathe. Ukyo, every night without fail when he was home, would wait until she was sitting on the floor with her back to a wall and sit down as close as he could in front of her and measure how large her belly was with his hands. He would put an ear to the top of her swollen abdomen and smile when he heard the baby moving. Every night, the same words were said.

"Any day now, right?"

"There's still two and a half months to go, Ukyo. Patience."

"But soon. Soon I will see you, and you will be more beautiful than you father or your mother…"

She would smile at this pronouncement, made to the mountain of flesh by a man many had thought was a ruthless if somewhat weak willed ruler. Tomi liked it better here, living in the village. There was no competition to keep favor with a man, no confinement, no scientists and no ministers. Here, Ukyo could be sweet soul that he was and she could be… whatever she was…

The thoughts that randomly came to her mind frightened her. She would be looking at some of the men working in the fields and wave to them when they caught sight of her, and she would suddenly get the horrible thought that she would like to kill them all. Often, it was as if there were more than one person inside her head, and she was having a hard time sifting through them to find her own self. She had told Kirara about the circumstances surrounding her 'birth' and had gone to her friend when one day the others in her head had driven her to a migraine. The water priestess was worried for her friend, but knew that she could handle them. She had lived with them for nearly twenty-two years, she no doubt knew how to handle them.

Pok-pok-pok!

"Come in!"

Kirara poked her head into her friend's house and saw that Tomi was sitting on the floor with tea already set for them. Apparently, she had been waiting for her to come for a visit. The priestess sat down and took a sip of her tea.

"So, how have you been? Are _they_ being quiet?"

Tomi nodded and took a sip of her own tea, putting it down on the floor and putting a hand to her belly and making a face. Kirara leaned forward with excited eyes.

"Is she kicking?"

Tomi nodded and motioned for the water priestess to give her her hand, placing it over a certain place on her belly and smiling as Kirara's eyes widened.

"Whoa, she's pushing awfully hard. Doesn't it hurt?"

Tomi shook her head and looked down in time for Kirara to take her hand away and both women to see a lump push up in her skin and move a little before settling down and disappearing again. Kirara shuddered and Tomi made a slightly pained face.

"It never fails to creep me out a little though. Ugh, and I'm cramping a little bit. Have there been any more illnesses in the village?"

"Not really, no. A few cases of whatever hit us a while back, but nothing I can't handle."

Tomi's face spasmed and she leaned back a little, one hand going to her belly.

"Hush, baby. It's too early for you to come out and play, go back to sleep."

She remained leaning and talked a little longer with Kirara, then glared down again.

"I mean it now, settle down."

Kirara looked at her friend and stood, holding out a hand to help her friend stand. Once the older woman was standing, her red eyes widened and she too a deep breath.

"Oh, that made it worse. Isn't this too early? What's wrong?"

Her eyes were slightly panicked and her breathing became shallow in her fear, looking to Kirara for comfort and guidance rather than the other way around for once. The water priestess led her friend out and began walking them toward the midwife's house, speaking in a low voice as they walked.

"It's probably nothing. Remember when Chiyo had her false labor a good twenty times before her time came? Her poor husband was running all over the place those months…"

She noticed though that Tomi's pace continued to slow and her face was set in pained lines. She looked around when she heard the voice of one of the village children and called him over.

"Roku, go into the village and find Ukyo. Tell him that we are at Yae's house because Tomi's ready. He'll understand. Go on now, hurry!"

The little boy ran off and the women continued to Yae's home, where the woman had Tomi lay down so she could examine her. The woman looked up at Kirara and spoke in her most commanding voice.

"Kirara, go get water and put it on the fire, and then get me a few cloths from that stack over there. You need to learn this, so you will stay here."

Tomi sat up, a strange contortion for a woman so greatly swollen as she was, and looked from Kirara to Yae with fear in her eyes.

"What? No, it's too early! You're wrong!"

Yae gave her a push back onto the mat and pushed the woman's robe out of the way so she could see what was happening during the birth that she knew was coming.

"No I'm not. Now, you need to listen to me…"

………

"UKYO!"

The blue haired man looked up from his book of numbers that the Elder had been asking him to check for the amount of rice that they had left, shocked to see a child still in the town on a day when usually the children were running around playing. He bowed to the Elder and walked toward the boy, crouching down so he was eye level with him. The child gasped for air and Ukyo held his shoulder until the boy could stand on his own.

"What is it, Roku? Is something wrong?"

The little boy nodded.

"Tomi and Kirara went to see Yae. Tomi looked like she was in pain!"

"Tomi? Yae? Ah!"

The boy's words struck him finally through the fog that number-crunching tended to leave him in, whipping him sharply into reality. He had been sleepy before, now he was wide awake.

"Are you gonna go and wait for them to come out?"

Ukyo looked to the Elder, to the book of numbers, then to Roku. He wasn't really sure what he was supposed to do next, truth be told…

Finally, the Elder picked the book out of the younger man's hand and gave him a tiny push in the right direction. By that 'tiny push', Ukyo discovered that the Elder could still swing that staff like a twenty year old. The old man laughed and shouted after Ukyo as he booked for Yae's home.

"And don't come back unless you have good news!"

………

Tomi groaned and looked around the small house, twisting her fingers in the heavy sheet that had been placed under her to catch the blood that would be not too long in coming. Yae continued to check between Tomi's legs, and as more time passed, she seemed to become more and more displeased.

"What's wrong Yae?"

A/N

Okay, I'm sorry that I haven't put the names of the songs in here, as I am a moron and keep forgetting. The first one in the last chapter was 'Song of the Sandman' by Enya, and the second one was 'Your Eyes' by Jonathan Larson. 

Also, I apologize for the dreaded hanger chapter… I feel horrible! I fear I shall be stoned with a combination of dormice and petrified peas!

…Boy, do I need to sleep more…


	6. Chapter 6

Simplicity is Bliss

Chapter 6

Ukyo reached the house where he saw Komachi standing outside, wringing her little hands and shooting the door worried glances. The blue haired man stooped and put his hands on his knees, gasping for air.

"Wh…What's wheeze going on? Is Tomi okay?"

Komachi looked up at him, her face pale.

"I keep hearing Yae telling Kirara to get things. She doesn't sound happy like usual. She sounds mad."

"Mad?"

Ukyo stood and grabbed the door, prepared to yank it open and find out what was happening. To his shock, the little girl grabbed his belt and hauled back, making him stumble and twist painfully to avoid falling on the child.

"You can't go in! You have to stay out here!"

Ukyo growled and settled himself so his back was against the door. He crossed his arms and glared around, looking like a little boy who had been denied his favorite toy.

………

Tomi winced when another contraction hit her, looking around as the older woman ordered her friend to bring more hot water and a cup of tea that was brewed from special herbs from her stores. Kirara appeared a moment later with a cup and sat by her friend's head.

"You need to drink this."

"What is it?"

Yae patted her on the knee and spoke in a hurried voice.

"It will speed this up. Your body is being stubborn and not letting the baby out. But the baby thinks it's time, so we have to get it out."

Tomi groaned and drank the tea, wrinkling her nose and making a disgusted face after the cup was taken away.

"Ugh, it tastes worse than the stuff that the three of us switched out for the minister's wine…"

"Huh?"

Tomi smiled and groaned again before starting her story. She spoke in a strained voice between Yae's barked orders to push.

"When Ukyo and I were young, we, er, _I_ was a big trouble-maker. Ukyo went along with my schemes and his younger brother got pulled into it too. At least when we were with him. Akakyo was creepy though, so I tried to stay away from him as much as I could. This one time, the three of us decided to switch out the minister's wine for a nasty concoction of our own. We drank the wine, then waited to watch the fun. Ukyo got caught though. I had to get him out of trouble all the time. He would get so angry with me. 'Why is it whenever _you_ start something,_ I_ get in trouble for it?' he would say. It was so much fun…"

Kirara snorted and Yae gave a happy cry. The baby's head was finally starting to come out. Yae told her to give two more hard pushes.

"I _can't _push any more, I'm tired!"

Yae slapped her on the thigh sharply, drawing a surprised yelp.

"You have to. Otherwise we'll be here all night. It's already been five hours. Now push, you stupid little chit!"

Tomi pushed angrily, gritting her teeth and using all her strength.

There was a great feeling of movement and then relief as Yae scooped the baby up and cut the cord, singing a happy song. Kirara grinned and looked at her friend, speaking in a high-pitched voice.

"A little boy! He's beautiful, Tomi! Ooh, you're so lucky!"

Tomi grinned and tried to sit up higher, then grabbed her belly again and groaned, biting her tongue to keep from screaming.

"What is it?"

"I'm still feeling something moving! It hurts!"

Yae handed the baby boy to Kirara and looked back between Tomi's legs. She raised her head up and smiled at Tomi.

"Looks like there's another baby in there!"

"What! Another five hours of this?"

Yae didn't answer, but rather turned her full attention to her charge. Tomi looked at Kirara and the baby and nodded toward the door.

"Go give Ukyo an update. He'll be worried."

………

Ukyo sat looking out at the horizon, watching the sun slowly sink. His fingernails had long ago been reduced to gnawed ragged stumps, and even the presence of Komachi was starting to wear on his frayed nerves. When he heard the little girl start singing quietly, he sighed and closed his eyes.

_Calm…calm…calm…_

He didn't hear the door behind him open and swore loudly when he fell backward into the room where Tomi was still in labor. He yelped and rolled out, covering his face and waiting for the shouting Kirara to hit him. When it was apparent that she wasn't going to, he moved his hands away and looked up at the water priestess.

"What, you aren't gonna hit me?"

"I would, but my hands are full, and I don't want Komachi to see me kicking you where it really counts."

Ukyo made a face, then his eyebrows shot up. He saw a bundle in her arms and eyed it cautiously. Kirara smiled and turned the bundle to reveal a little face with it's face in a little scowl, it's eyes tightly shut.

Ukyo looked from the baby to the door that hid his wife, then back to the baby, his eyes the size of plates. Kirara smiled wider when the former Amanushi sat down hard in the grass, his face showing only shock.

"Once the other one is born, you can come in and see Tomi. Until then, why don't you go get something to eat?"

Ukyo just sat there and blinked for a moment before shaking his head as if to clear it. He smiled and shook his head, standing up and brushing grass off his clothes. The water priestess grinned and held out the baby to his father and was shocked to see Ukyo recoil from her, crossing his arms nervously.

"What?"

Ukyo scuffed a foot in the grass and looked down.

"What if I drop it?"

"You won't drop him. Here, I have to go back in. Just sit with him until I come for you."

Ukyo had no choice, as the priestess deposited the baby into his arms and quickly adjusted his hand to support the baby's head, then hurried inside. Once he was alone, Komachi going to get herself some food, he looked down at the baby and smiled. He could see a little of himself in the child.

_He has my chin, but those are Tomi's cheeks. Maybe her nose too, but it's hard to tell…_

………

Tomi groaned and looked out the window, seeing stars lighting up the sky.

"Is Ukyo still out there?"

Kirara looked out the window and saw the man leaning against the wall, the baby leaning against him and supported by his father's legs. Both were sound asleep.

"Yeah. Those two are sleeping out there. It's pretty cute."

Tomi chuckled and got back to pushing, cursing her ability to reproduce. When she was young, she wasn't sure if she would be able to because of her beginnings. Obviously, this was not the case, as she now was forcing another baby out of her.

"Almost there, Tomi. One more should do it."

Tomi grit her teeth again and pushed, exhausted. Finally, she heard a shriek and fell back onto the mat. Kirara looked up and saw the baby was a female and turned to tell Tomi, but she was already asleep. Yae cleaned around her, lifting her hips carefully and singing under her breath a lullaby that she had been teaching Tomi.

Lulay lulay, my tiny child

Too soon you'll know the world so wild

Yes all too soon you will be grown

And I'll bide here alone, alone.

The rushing bellows you shall ride

And the light of the North Star will be your guide

But yet awhile, I'll have you stay

Lulay my tiny child, lulay.

For you shall run in meadows green

And sport with otters all in the stream

And you shall chase the dapple deer

And swim with salmon in the waters clear.

To pluck the small birds from the sky

On the tail of the South wind, you shall fly

And take the high hills for your home

Blood of my blood, bone of my bone.

The moon must sleep beyond the tree

So weep sweet maid of Galilee

The sun must rise before the cross

To dry your tears and share your loss.

The darkest hour of the starless night

Must bow to the power of the Eastern light

That heals the earth and makes us whole

Heart of my heart, soul of my soul.

And when at last your course is run

Joy of my joy, my little son

Beneath the sky you'll stand alone

Flesh of my flesh, bone of my bone.

Yes you shall stand on the coal-black sands

To cross o'er the waters of the Western lands

But now I have you at my breast

Lulay my sweet one, gently rest.

Kirara let a sleepy Ukyo in, still holding the sleeping baby in his arms.

"Introductions can wait until later. You both can sleep here tonight. Yae will stay here to keep an eye on Tomi."

Kirara walked out of the house and smiled back at them one last time before walking away.

Tomorrow would be the day of Naming. Then the babies would be introduced to the rest of the village.

A/N

w00t! Twins! Boy, Ukyo's sleeping-in days are over! The song that I used in this is Wexford Lullaby by John Renbourn. It's really pretty!


	7. Chapter 7

Simplicity is Bliss

Chapter 7

Ukyo looked over at Tomi and smiled. He held his son on his chest while his daughter slept soundly on her mother's belly. Already he could see the beginnings of hair on the girl, but he wasn't sure if it was Tomi's purple or his own blue. He really didn't care, but he thought that he would like to have a blue haired child.

Tomi stirred and lifted her head slowly, her eyes refusing to open all the way. She looked at him, then at their children, her lips curving into a soft smile, one that even Ukyo didn't see very often. He knew the look from the times that she had been charged to watch the village children, that look of adoration.

"Tomi? Are you going to be alright tomorrow? I have to leave right after the naming ceremony… I don't want to go…"

Tomi nodded, closing her eyes again and moving a little closer to him, leaning her head on his arm. She was sad that he had to go so soon, but if he didn't, there would be little money or supplies. Now that she had the babies, she would need some new things, and he was the best way to get them… Ukyo heard her sigh and knew that she was nodding off again, and decided that he should get some sleep too if he was going to travel and have to get to work in the morning.

Akakyo glared into the mirror that hung on his wall, his makeup washed off an hour ago by servants. His cold red eyes burning like coals from behind a curtain of blue hair that was tangled and ragged. He had been told for the third time in the last few months that the virus had become dormant… What had gone wrong?

He tore at his hair again and paced back and forth, irritably snapping his fingers and biting his lip.

With a growl and a quick kick at the wardrobe in the corner, he released his hair and a look of complete calm came over his face. An idea struck him, and he knew just the thing to do to get it in action. All he needed to do was get the virus to come out of it's dormant stage, then the prototypes could be sent into that disgusting little village and the experiment could progress…

Yes, all was well.

Tomi rose when she heard Yae come in, rubbing her eyes and reaching out to touch Ukyo on the shoulder. The man made a face and muttered, not opening his eyes. Tomi gave him a pinch on the arm and he jerked awake, his arms closing reflexively around the baby that was stirring on his chest.

Yae smiled and put an arm behind Tomi's shoulders and helped her sit up, chuckling when the younger woman groaned in discomfort. Tomi looked down and saw that while her belly had shrunk considerably, it still looked like she could have been four months pregnant. Just as she opened her mouth to say something to the midwife, the little girl in her arms took a deep breath and let out a wail that woke her brother and started him crying too.

"So the real work begins."

Ukyo looked back one last time to see Tomi and Kirara holding the children, a sad look on his face. He loved his work, but he would much rather be with Tomi and his twins, the girl named Sae and the boy named Koji, who he loved more than work, more than the world, more than life itself. With a sigh, he turned and continued on his way.

Once he got to the first village and unloaded his three huge carts, he took a deep breath and dropped the colored lenses in his eyes and listened to the crowd that was starting to accumulate outside.

_Here we go. Maybe I can get something for the twins while I'm here…_

He pasted on his usual big smile and flung open the door, stepping out into the sunlight. He was greeted by shouts asking after the health of "Tama", his wife. He had given her a new name in town, along with a new one for himself, "Nobuo". He called back about the birth of his twins and accepted congratulations and gifts for the babies. One old woman gave him a big jar of honey for when the children got colic. The three day visit flew by, and soon he was packing up and getting ready to move on. But this time instead of going east, he went south, toward the capital.

_I won't go see Akakyo, but I want to see how things are going…_

In the capital, Akakyo was walking through the market streets with his armed guards, inspecting the stalls when his attention was called to a traveling merchant who had set up and drawn quite a crowd. From a speaker came a singing female voice and people were commenting on the music. Every time somebody would ask who it was who sang, the man would smile proudly and say that it was his wife.

"Your wife is quite the songstress, sir."

The merchant looked up from his book of numbers and his eyes widened for a moment of shock. Then he smiled again and bowed low, his dark hair in it's neat ponytail flipping over his shoulder.

"Thank you, Amanushi-sama. I will be sure to tell my wife that you said so. She will be pleased."

Akakyo looked at a few things, finally purchasing a silver hairpin that he would give to one of his concubines, then looked closely at the merchant again.

"What is your name, merchant?"

The merchant handed a little girl a piece of candy and turned to the Amanushi again with a polite smile.

"My name is Nobuo Takeshi, Amanushi-sama."

Akakyo nodded and walked away, not seeing the merchant let out a relieved sigh.

Ukyo spent the night looking at the latest photo of him and his wife. It had been taken not long before she had had the children, and she was, as she put it, 'as big as Baishian'. She had been wearing her favorite yellow robe held shut with a blue ribbon and was smiling at whoever had been taking the picture and he had been standing behind her with his hands over her belly and his chin resting on her shoulder and smiling, his cheeks red with laughing.

"We may be in trouble, my love. I saw Akakyo today, and I'm not sure if he recognized me or not, but I'll leave after tomorrow. I hope Sae and Koji are well…"

He always talked to her when he was gone, even though he knew he looked like he was a little crazy, but there was rarely anybody around to see him anyway.

There was a sudden scratching at the door to his left and he jumped so hard that his head knocked the shelf over his bunk loose. Swearing, he tossed the fallen item onto the floor and vented his frustration on a crate before opening the door, swiping hair out of his face.

"The shop's closed, go home. Come back tomorrow. Eh?"

He barely had time to reach out to the boy, no more than five, maybe six, before the boy's eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed. Ukyo picked him up and closed the door, placing the child on his bunk and sitting back.

"Now what do I do?"


	8. Chapter 8

Simplicity is Bliss

Simplicity is Bliss

Chapter 8

Tomi looked out the window toward the gates of the village. Ukyo was two days late, and she was starting to worry. He had said that he was going to the capital to try to get things that were rare in the smaller villages that he usually visited, so was going to be very careful and try to avoid detection.

"He'll be back soon. Probably tonight."

She shifted her grip on her children as they fed, letting Kirara adjust her robe around her shoulders. The woman watched for a moment as the babies nursed, marveling at the little heads that were already sprouting thick blue hair.

"They really are beautiful, Tomi. You and Ukyo did a good job."

Tomi smiled and looked down at the two, smiling wider when little Koji looked up and blinked at her.

"I wonder if they recognize me or if they just know that I'm their meal ticket."

Kirara chuckled and stroked the little boy's hair as Tomi handed him to her to burp, putting Sae up on her shoulder to do the same.

"I think they know you. How have you been though? I know you're not sleeping much."

"Comes with the mother territory, Little Kirara. I'll be fine. I have you to help me, and the Elder said that he was going to adopt me as a grandchild."

"He always did have a soft spot for you."

Tomi smiled and Sae let out a tremendous burp and spit up onto the cloth on her shoulder. Kirara opened her mouth to say more, but was cut off by Koji letting out a rejoinder to his sister's noisy expulsion.

"They are very loud."

"Little Kirara, what's that out there?"

Kirara looked up from her wiping of Koji's face to look out the window to see Ukyo walking back to the house from the building where he put his supplies and vehicles with something on his shoulders. On closer inspection, she saw it was a little boy.

"Ukyo and… A little boy…"

Tomi looked out the window and gently handed Sae to Kirara and went out to her husband, her eyes locked on the child. When she reached him, she reached up and pulled the child down into her arms, brushing lanky blue-black hair away from his face and looking into his blue eyes. The child smiled and reached up to touch Tomi's chin, laughing when she smiled at him.

"He came to the door of my bunker and just collapsed. He doesn't know what his name is, and not much else either. I think he may have hit his head or got into something that messed up his memory. I tried to find his parents, but I couldn't find them."

The two had moved into the house and Kirara passed Ukyo Sae and gave Koji to his mother as the older woman set the boy on his feet. The little boy was unsteady and Kirara had to put a gentle hand on his shoulder to steady him. She examined him carefully under Tomi's watchful eye with the water crystal, looking for illness or untruth.

After a time, she stood and looked at Tomi, who moved toward the little boy so he could hold the skirt of her robe.

"He seems alright. He isn't ill, and he was honest with me. He's a little skinny, but I think that you should give him a bath and feed him before you take him to the Elder so he can decide what to do with him."

The little boy looked up at Tomi and she smiled down at him with a reassuring wink. Ukyo nodded and Kirara left to tell the Elder what was happening. Tomi motioned for Ukyo to take the babies and follow her and the little boy into the bathhouse.

As the water heated in the soaking tub, Tomi washed the little boy and talked to Ukyo.

"So, he just keeled over? Maybe he was just tired. He seems alright, albeit a little too skinny for my tastes. Anything else happen that I should know about?"

While she scrubbed the boy's hair, Ukyo looked around nervously. He wasn't sure if he should bring up the fact that he had spoken in passing to Akakyo. If he did, she would begin to worry about him finding them and perhaps trying to take them out. If he didn't, and she found out anyway, he knew he would be sleeping in the bathhouse for the better part of the year…

"Something happened. What was it?"

"Akakyo."

"_What?_"

"So, how is the dance for the harvest festival coming?"

"Fine. Don't change the subject. What happened? Tell me everything."

Ukyo sighed as Tomi and the little boy got into the hot water, Tomi holding the boy up and settling him on her lap and carefully pouring hot water over his back. The little boy giggled and splashed around quietly while Ukyo told his wife the story.

"This is unsettling. He was always very perceptive. Are you sure he didn't recognize you?"

"Almost completely. If he does, I don't know what he would try to do. He has no quarrel with us, and he never did."

Tomi sighed and stood, leaving the boy in the water to play and wrapped herself in a bathing robe, taking Koji and sitting as close as she could get to Ukyo.

"You never know, Ukyo. I never trusted him. He's too – "

"He's my brother, Tomi."

Tomi sighed and watched the little boy haul himself out of the tub and wrap himself in a thick robe. She stood and walked with the boy into the house, looking over her shoulder at the shadow of her husband and daughter. She felt suddenly sad and as soon as the boy was asleep, she laid down on the bed she shared with Ukyo and closed her eyes.

_I have a bad feeling._


	9. Chapter 9

Simplicity is Bliss

Simplicity is Bliss

Chapter 9

Tomi rose early the next day to find Ukyo sitting with the little boy and sharing a few bites of salted fish with him, smiling when the little boy tore at the tough meat. Ukyo looked up and nodded to Tomi as she picked up Sae and Koji. As she settled herself into a comfortable position to nurse them, Ukyo rose and ruffled the boy's hair and crossed the room to kiss the twins and their mother, muttering that he would have Kirara come to the house while he went to deliver goods to the other people of the village.

_So, he's still smarting over what I said about Akakyo. I should say something, but I can't…_

She lifted her children and told the little boy to follow her, making her way to the Elder's home. She would ask the old man if the child could stay and be raised as a son of hers. But then, she would need a name for the boy…

"Elder? It's Tomi. May I enter?"

The old man called out for her to come in and she was greeted by the grinning old man, smiling when he lifted little Sae then her brother and set them on a thick blanket spread on the floor. His eyes turned to the little boy who had tried to take refuge behind her wide pantlegs.

"Go see the Elder. He won't hurt you, he just wants to talk."

The little boy, his pretty girl's face pale from fear, took a few steps toward the old man. The Elder smiled and told his to sit, pulling his own robes out of the way so he could sit with the boy.

Tomi sat next to the babies, listening as the Elder asked the little boy different questions, then called her over.

The old man's face was serious as he looked from the little boy to the former empress, his eyes unreadable.

"What do you think I should do in this situation, Tomi?"

Tomi swallowed hard and bit her lip, then took a deep breath and tried to summon up all the confidence that she had when she had been a powerful figure. But it wouldn't come full force anymore.

"I think the boy should stay with Ukyo and I. He is a quiet boy, but he seems to be very intelligent. I already love him…"

The Elder looked at the little boy and smiled slightly, careful not to let Tomi see it at first.

"Well, I suppose he will need a name then."

Tomi grinned and launched herself at the old man, almost crying in gratitude. She let go and backed up after a moment, looking slightly embarrassed by her own actions. The Elder smiled fully and patted her hand.

"I was thinking, Elder, that if you would allow me to keep him in my home and raise him as my son… His name would match him… Miyabi."

The Elder smiled and looked the little boy over once more, nodding his old head. Yes, Miyabi would fit the pretty little boy well, he was sure.

"Then I will let you get to your rehearsal, Tomi. Perhaps Miyabi would be able to help you out. Carry things for you or something."

Tomi picked up Sae and Koji, who had both been falling asleep, and walked out into the sunlight in time to see Kirara and her little sister walk by.

"Kirara! Come on, we have a dance to rehearse!"

………

Ukyo walked slowly to the small raised stage that he and a few of the other village men had built for the festival, smiling at the sound of the flute and a small drum. Tomi hadn't seen him yet, as her dance was more demanding with the full costume of blue, red and grey silk on. He noticed that she had put the heavy makeup on in an attempt to get herself in character, but she kept breaking it by grinning when she looked at the little boy.

"Ukyo!"

Komachi jogged up to him, carrying a sleepy Sae in her arms. Ukyo chuckled when he saw that Tomi had painted the little girl's face a little with the highly stylized patterns of a child who would be playing the role of a monkey. Tomi's makeup was that of a male water spirit. She finished a few more steps and finally sat down and called Kirara over to her, telling her to bring the brushes and makeup.

"You going to paint her up too?"

Tomi looked up to see Ukyo sitting in the grass with Sae and Koji in his lap and Komachi laying on her belly near him.

"Yep. You are looking at the priestess who was loved by the water spirit in the river. Miyabi, bring mother the rag. Thank you."

"Miyabi?"

Tomi smiled as the little boy walked away to sit beside his adoptive father. The man raised an eyebrow and looked to his wife for an explanation.

Tomi sat down and took the loudly crying Koji and nursed him while Kirara washed her face and listened to them talk. The water priestess had known that the boy would probably be given to the pair to take care of, but hadn't told them. She hadn't wanted to ruin the surprise.

"The Elder said we could adopt him and he would be one of the village's people. Ukyo, I know we've just only had our own children, but he needs us. He wants to learn to dance too."

The little boy looked up at the two and smiled his shy smile, and Ukyo noticed how very much like a little girl the child looked.

"People used to think I was a little girl too…"

Tomi smiled and traded with her husband, nursing Sae while Ukyo tried to get Koji to burp and cease his crying. Miyabi smiled and tried to make funny faces at the baby, but found that it didn't work so contented himself with just staring at the child that was now his little brother.

"Yeah, but that may have been partly because of the makeup."

Ukyo stuck out his tongue at his wife, then smiled. He really hadn't been angry at her for her words against his brother, for he couldn't help it that the two had never really gotten along. Really, the only thing that they had in common then was Ukyo, and that had even been strained at times.

Finally, Koji belched in Miyabi's face and Sae burped only a moment after her brother. Tomi stood and took both children and tipped her head toward Miyavi.

"Come on, sweetheart, I think it may be time for a little nap. Kirara, you don't mind if I nap for an hour and then come back to help you with your part? I'll leave these three with Ukyo, if he doesn't mind."

She looked at Ukyo to see him smiling and nodding. He thought that perhaps the boy would be able to do a little work for him and keep an eye on his younger siblings while his 'father' finished up with his customers.

In the cool house, Tomi arranged herself on her bedding after settling the twins in their little crib and keeping the fingers of one hand draped over the edge, holding the blanket open so Miyabi could crawl under with her. The little boy settled his head against her chest and listened to her heart for a moment before he looked up and asked her for a song.

"I didn't know big boys like you needed lullabies."

She had spoken kindly with a soft smile, but the smile faded when she saw the tears in the boy's eyes.

"Well then, I suppose a song would actually be a wonderful idea."

She tightened her grip on the boy and the crib, gently rocking both slightly, thinking that if anybody saw her, they would laugh.

Hush now, my baby  
Be still love, don't cry  
Sleep like you're rocked by the stream  
Sleep and remember  
My lullaby  
And I'll be with you when you dream

Drift on a river  
That flows through my arms  
Drift as I'm singing to you  
I see you smiling  
So peaceful and calm  
And holding you, I'm smiling, too  
Here in my arms  
Safe from all harm  
Holding you, I'm smiling, too

Hush now, my baby  
Be still, love, don't cry  
Sleep like you're rocked by the stream  
Sleep and remember this river lullaby  
And I'll be with you when you dream  
Here in my arms

Safe from all harm

Holding you, I'm smiling, too

Sleep and remember this river lullaby

I'll be with you when you dream

Sleep and remember this river lullaby

And I'll be with you when you dream

I'll be with you when you dream…

Tomi's eyes, already heavy when she started, barely got through the song before they slammed shut. Miyabi yawned in his sleep and both babies were snoring in their shared basket crib. Ukyo peeked through the window to see how everybody was doing later and found that Kirara and Komachi had joined his family at some point and were sleeping too. The blue haired man chuckled and left them alone, heading toward the Elder's home with the special tea and ointment for the old man's achy joints and constant stomach trouble.

Then, on a whim before he got too far, he went back to his storage hut and grabbed up his camera and snapped a picture of the mass of sleepers. It really was too cute to pass up.

_Besides, _he thought with a smug smile as he shook the developing picture, _the Elder may want to see how everybody's doing._

Oh, the fun he would have…

A/N

Hey everybody. Sorry that this took so long to post, but I have really been not in the mood to write lately. My best furry friend, a big lab/chow mix named Emma, who has been with me since I was thirteen, was just diagnosed with a cancer in her lymph nodes. The vet said that she could be kept comfortable for about three months, but that I would have to have her put down soon. I've been hanging out with her a lot and have pretty depressed… Sorry again for this whining and for not posting sooner.

Also, the song is 'River Lullaby' as preformed by Amy Grant for the Prince of Egypt soundtrack.

Also, 'Miyabi' means 'Elegant', unless my Japanese speaking source is wrong… As always, please review, it makes the writer happy and keeps the characters fed!


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